For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a girly girl. Playing dolls and dress-up and beauty salon were my pastimes, and I’ve always had a love for all things pretty and pink. Speaking of pretty, I rarely leave the house without makeup (even if it’s just a little bit) and I’ve been known to triple- and quadruple check my outfits with Ben. When re-decorating, I often have an image in my head of just how I want my mantle arrangement to look, perfectly balanced in terms of height and colors. When I’m entertaining, table setting follows the same rules and silverware and glasses must be perfectly lined up where they’re supposed to be. Is it a crime to like things that look good? I think not. And yet, we all have those pictures on our blogs. (At least, I hope it’s just not me.) You know the ones. You know the meal was fabulous but the blurry, discolored, or oddly composed picture might say otherwise. It’s ok, you didn’t know what you were doing at the time. Now that you’re older, wiser, and a little more in tune with your camera, it’s perfectly ok to play a game of makeover.

This isn’t the first recipe I’ve touched-up. And I hope you don’t mind – since I’ve been blogging for over three years now, it’s sometimes hard to come up with new recipes. But now that I’ve gotten a little better with camera, going back to some of my old stuff can be just as fun. Plus, if you’re a new reader, you might not even notice some of my older entries, but I think they deserve to be gussied-up and shared with you.

The first rendition of this recipe was written for just one serving since I made it on a solo-night. Now Ben has had the chance to enjoy it a few times too, so I re-wrote it to make enough for two. I also used an entire 1/2 pound of shrimp for just one serving last time, but I was on a serious protein kick with my weight-lifting at the time. I’ve cut back my calories a bit, so the new recipe calls for 6oz of shrimp per person- more like what a normal person eats.

This is a light and healthy meal I’ll never tire of eating, and I had a lot of fun playing makeover with it 🙂

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the shrimp and garlic. Cook the shrimp for about 1 minute on each side, until just opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and saute over medium heat until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, then add the shrimp and heat through, about 1-2 minutes more. Serve with crumbled goat cheese.

Never tried zucchini noodles before, sounds really interesting! I'll love to try this recipe, but I'm not a big fan of goat cheese though. What other cheese would you recommend to replace the goat cheese (and still retain the delicious flavours)?

i'm soooo not a girly girl–i've been called a tomboy by just about everyone who's ever met me. that said, i'm also a person who's gone back and redone a few posts here and there. :)this is an interesting dish, cara–those zuke noodles are all kinds of awesome. you can bring this one back as often as you want!

I can always tell you have a great attention to detail. Your zucchini pasta dish looks wonderful. I love that you sub in the veggie for the pasta, so much more my thing. The new pics are looking great!

OMG Cara. I just made this dish and it was unbelievable!!! It was a little challenging spiralizing the zucchini but totally worth it. I added in a tablespoon or two of home-made pesto too…. mmmmm…. thanks for being so creative!

OMG Cara. I just made this dish and it was unbelievable!!! It was a little challenging spiralizing the zucchini but totally worth it. I added in a tablespoon or two of home-made pesto too…. mmmmm…. thanks for being so creative!

OMG Cara. I just made this dish and it was unbelievable!!! It was a little challenging spiralizing the zucchini but totally worth it. I added in a tablespoon or two of home-made pesto too…. mmmmm…. thanks for being so creative!

I can always tell you have a great attention to detail. Your zucchini pasta dish looks wonderful. I love that you sub in the veggie for the pasta, so much more my thing. The new pics are looking great!

I can always tell you have a great attention to detail. Your zucchini pasta dish looks wonderful. I love that you sub in the veggie for the pasta, so much more my thing. The new pics are looking great!

i'm soooo not a girly girl–i've been called a tomboy by just about everyone who's ever met me. that said, i'm also a person who's gone back and redone a few posts here and there. :)this is an interesting dish, cara–those zuke noodles are all kinds of awesome. you can bring this one back as often as you want!

OMG Cara. I just made this dish and it was unbelievable!!! It was a little challenging spiralizing the zucchini but totally worth it. I added in a tablespoon or two of home-made pesto too…. mmmmm…. thanks for being so creative!

Never tried zucchini noodles before, sounds really interesting! I'll love to try this recipe, but I'm not a big fan of goat cheese though. What other cheese would you recommend to replace the goat cheese (and still retain the delicious flavours)?